Or, as appears to be the case with a wanted Oakley man, fugitives can use social media to taunt the law enforcement agencies trying to track them down.

A warrant for burglary suspect Tyler Belleci was issued Dec. 31, said Oakley police Detective Scott Griggs. Details of Belleci’s alleged crime weren’t readily available, but police have been working to arrest the 22-year-old for months. While investigators have yet to track him down, that doesn’t mean he’s been out of sight.

On May 30, after his mugshot ran on the front page of the Oakley Press, Belleci signed a copy, took a picture of it and uploaded it to Facebook, apparently to revel in his newfound celebrity.

Within a few days, Belleci was back to poking fun at the cops. When someone posted a flier on Facebook that described him as a “wanted person,” he responded (with a smiley face emoticon), “Who’s that sexy guy?” Belleci, it should be noted, also proclaimed his innocence on Facebook, saying “I didn’t actually do anything, seriously.”

Griggs said Belleci’s posts haven’t rankled the rank and file.

“It’s strictly business, there’s nothing personal there,” he said. “We use social media as a resource to find wanted individuals. He has a First Amendment right to use it and say whatever he wants.”

But the attention that Belleci’s posts are generating, both from this publication and others, could be his undoing, Griggs said.

“We don’t know that he’s still in Oakley. Hopefully the attention he’s getting now will bring forward members of the public who have tips,” Griggs said. “Anything that extends our reach makes it more likely that we’ll catch him, and that’s the ultimate goal.”

Police have warned the public not to approach Belleci, but amateur sleuths looking for clues may seize upon his most recent post, where he appears to be celebrating Pride in an undisclosed location.